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Re: Off season Rumors and Speculation

Rockets have 20 players currently and need to cut down to 15 by start of the regular season.

Of the guys who are considered possible cuts, JaJuan Johnson is the most intriguing to me. He'd fill in nicely as backup PF if Hans continues to struggle.

he's solid, but i doubt they cut him. the way i see it, he was a key part of the Lee sign and trade and has a lot of upside. He's likely to be their 3rd center next season, they are really lacking in depth at 5. Patterson will probably have to play a lot of center minutes

Re: Off season Rumors and Speculation

As for Barbosa, my guess is that he originally didn't want to sign for the minimum, and decided to hold out for more. Unfortunately for him, by the time he decided he's willing to "settle", the money has dried up and most teams have already filled their rosters. I think Barbosa can get a training camp invite if he wants, but is probably thinking he'd be better off overseas.

If a guard on a playoff team gets injured though, I can see Barbosa getting signed pretty quickly.

Re: Off season Rumors and Speculation

he's solid, but i doubt they cut him. the way i see it, he was a key part of the Lee sign and trade and has a lot of upside. He's likely to be their 3rd center next season, they are really lacking in depth at 5. Patterson will probably have to play a lot of center minutes

Just going off the speculation from the linked article.

Unfortunately for Johnson, he joins a roster replete with power forwards. Even if he can manage to make the final cut for this season, he will need to truly impress the Rockets in training camp–and show that he is capable of playing multiple positions–in order for the team to commit to a guy who might not be more than the sixth big man on the 2013-14 roster.

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Re: Off season Rumors and Speculation

White now wants a promise from the team for him to use a bus to some games.
I don't see much issue with the bus thing - unfortunate, but what can you do. But the timing is horrible. These things should be handled during the offseason, not when the camp starts. Now he refuses to go to the camp until this is settled.

Before he's willing to start training camp, Houston Rockets rookie Royce White wants the team's permission to travel to some games by private bus, the former Iowa State star told ESPN.com on Wednesday night.

White's fear of flying, he said, magnifies his anxiety disorder. So he's asked the Rockets to let him use a bus for some of the team's extensive road trips. White said he's willing to purchase the bus and assume liability.

Busing to games, he said, is a vital component in the treatment of his anxiety.

White, who missed the team's media day on Monday and the start of training camp in McAllen, Texas, on Tuesday, said he hopes to reach an agreement with the team soon. He said he expects to join his teammates within "a week," if talks with the Rockets continue to progress.

"What it's going to look like is every game that's drivable, I'm going to get a bus for myself," White said. "And I'm going to make that bus feel like home so that there's a level of consistency in a job where inconsistency is very apparent because of the schedule. I'm going to try and level that out and make sure that my stress levels stay low and that my rest is regular and that my meals are regular and that as much as I can, draw consistency from a very inconsistent schedule. ...

"People with mental illness, one of the most important things is that they have that consistency and routine. The girth of (my request) was, 'Can I travel by bus to close enough games?' "

Re: Off season Rumors and Speculation

8:43AM EST October 2. 2012 - When you average 13.2 minutes a game, not a lot players have a goal of fans wanting to see less of him.

But that will happen in Utah where 6-11 foot center Enes Kanter enters his second season 51 pounds lighter. Kanter, who was as heavy as 293 pounds in the summer, reported to camp at 242.

Kanter, who tweeted out photos of himself during the offseason, told Bill Oram of the Salt Lake Tribune that his teammates asked "are you trying to be a body builder. I said no, I'm just trying to be in better shape."

Kanter averaged 4.6 points and 4.2 points a game in 2011-2012.

Now mixing in a few salads, Kanter lost the weight by pushing away from the table. He said of his previous diet:

"First my breakfast: I was eating like six eggs, omelet with six eggs; seven or eight pancakes, with sugar, whipped cream, everything; then a breakfast burrito. That was just my breakfast. Then I came to practice and my lunch was just like pasta, chicken alfredo or whatever, and then a burger and an appetizer. Dessert? No. Dessert was at dinnertime. Dinnertime I ate another burger, a big meal again and a dessert."

Re: Off season Rumors and Speculation

Every team knew about Whites condition as did the Rockets when they drafted him. I'd think they would have had some kind of plan in place to try to accommodate him to a reasonable degree. Letting him drive or take a bus to some games would be reasonable. Maybe he could be medicated to take some flights if it were done the night before. Surely he flew to some of his college games. I'm sure he would lose some practice time though.
The kid was honest about his condition and I hope things work out for him.

Re: Off season Rumors and Speculation

White now wants a promise from the team for him to use a bus to some games.
I don't see much issue with the bus thing - unfortunate, but what can you do. But the timing is horrible. These things should be handled during the offseason, not when the camp starts. Now he refuses to go to the camp until this is settled.

It's not just the timing that's a problem - he's basically holding out from training camp unless his demands are met. I'm sure the Rockets would have been amenable to whatever suggestions White thinks will help, but making a demand (and worse, a public demand) puts the Rockets on the spot. The cynic in me says that this is a strategy to force the Rockets' hand, i.e. they'd look like the bad guys if they turn down the request of the guy with an anxiety issue.

Why can't he report to camp first and figure out travel arrangements later? For all we know, that may have solved the whole travel problem. The Rockets' coaching staff may decide he's not ready to play regular NBA minutes yet and basically let him stay in Houston and play only during home games. Or maybe even that he needs D-League time - D-League teams travel by bus to road games most of the time, so maybe there'd be less of an issue for White. Surely getting a bus isn't the ONLY possible solution to his problem.

I sympathize with White's issue and hope he overcomes it. But I think he's going about this the wrong way.

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Re: Off season Rumors and Speculation

I kind of sympathize with him since I have a fear of flying myself, but why not sort this out during the offseason instead of waiting until training camp?

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Re: Off season Rumors and Speculation

I kind of sympathize with him since I have a fear of flying myself, but why not sort this out during the offseason instead of waiting until training camp?

Certainly seems like something he and his people should've been figuring out pretty much as soon as he declared for the draft. Even if he ends up taking a bus, that's still not exactly feasible. Dallas, San Antonio, OKC, and New Orleans are really the only ones that a road trip makes sense for. What's he going to do when they're on an East Coast trip and one night they're in DC and the next Miami or something like that? Not to mention how much it'd separate him from his team.

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Re: Off season Rumors and Speculation

so the Rockets have agreed to his request.

he also had this to say regarding his timing:

"I will take full responsibility for that," White said. "You have to understand that with the disorder I have specifically, it was very worrisome, stressful for me to even make a decision to be able to ask for what I need.

"There was a certain amount of fear that went into me even stepping up and asking for what I need because, let's face it, the ramifications could have been a number of things, and one of those could have been me not being in the league come two years from now or even now.

"That was very scary for me personally. It came to a point where I really had to decide 'okay either you're going to step up and ask for what you need or deal with the consequences that may come if this isn't supported,' and I wasn't willing to do that in the end. So I felt the need to step up and ask.

Re: Off season Rumors and Speculation

Attempting an NBA schedule by bus is simply not possible. Forgetting the fact that he'll miss nearly all in season practice time, which is few and far between to begin with, he will miss games. Regularly.

Let's just look at the first month of their schedule.

They end the preseason in Orlando on 10/26. He'll then miss practice and spend all of 10/27, 16 hours straight through, to get back to Houston presumably for practice on 10/28. He'll then have to miss practice on 10/29 & 10/30 to begin the 23 hour drive from Houston to Detroit for opening night.

He's missed three practices before one game is played.

He'll leave the night of the Detroit game and drive through to Atlanta arriving at approximately 1:00 on 11/1. I assume he'll miss that morning's practice but he'll be there for the game on 11/2. They have a back to back so if he leaves directly after the game he'll miss the following day's workout but could conceivably be back in Houston in the late afternoon for that night's game against Portland. They then have a few days off before another home game on 11/7 after which he will head to Memphis for their game on 11/9. If they move practice to late afternoon on 11/8 he should be okay for this stretch. However, that is another back to back so he'll have the same issue with the last one as far as the trip home is concerned but at least they have 3 straight home games. He should be able to get through the first 9 games without missing one but he'll basically miss 3 practices for every one he can go to.

Now it gets tricky. After an 11/14 home game against N.O., they play 11/16 in Portland. It's basically a day and a half drive, at minimum, from Houston to Portland. It is conceivable he could make it there just before tip off but I doubt it. They then play in LA on 11/18 & Utah on 11/19. It's 16 hours from Portland to LA and 11 hours from LA to SLC. My guess is he doesn't go on this whole trip.

The month ends with three homes games from 11/21-11/27 and ends with the second night of a back to back in Oklahoma City. He should be fine for these but he'll miss another practice.

In the first month of the season, he'll miss three games and about 10 practice/walkthroughs. And this doesn't include any Eastern trip.

The bottom line is, you can't be an NBA player if you won't get on airplane. He may have all the talent in the world and I really do feel for him that this issue is so bad but thank god my team didn't pick him.

Re: Off season Rumors and Speculation

Attempting an NBA schedule by bus is simply not possible. Forgetting the fact that he'll miss nearly all in season practice time, which is few and far between to begin with, he will miss games. Regularly.

Let's just look at the first month of their schedule.

They end the preseason in Orlando on 10/26. He'll then miss practice and spend all of 10/27, 16 hours straight through, to get back to Houston presumably for practice on 10/28. He'll then have to miss practice on 10/29 & 10/30 to begin the 23 hour drive from Houston to Detroit for opening night.

He's missed three practices before one game is played.

He'll leave the night of the Detroit game and drive through to Atlanta arriving at approximately 1:00 on 11/1. I assume he'll miss that morning's practice but he'll be there for the game on 11/2. They have a back to back so if he leaves directly after the game he'll miss the following day's workout but could conceivably be back in Houston in the late afternoon for that night's game against Portland. They then have a few days off before another home game on 11/7 after which he will head to Memphis for their game on 11/9. If they move practice to late afternoon on 11/8 he should be okay for this stretch. However, that is another back to back so he'll have the same issue with the last one as far as the trip home is concerned but at least they have 3 straight home games. He should be able to get through the first 9 games without missing one but he'll basically miss 3 practices for every one he can go to.

Now it gets tricky. After an 11/14 home game against N.O., they play 11/16 in Portland. It's basically a day and a half drive, at minimum, from Houston to Portland. It is conceivable he could make it there just before tip off but I doubt it. They then play in LA on 11/18 & Utah on 11/19. It's 16 hours from Portland to LA and 11 hours from LA to SLC. My guess is he doesn't go on this whole trip.

The month ends with three homes games from 11/21-11/27 and ends with the second night of a back to back in Oklahoma City. He should be fine for these but he'll miss another practice.

In the first month of the season, he'll miss three games and about 10 practice/walkthroughs. And this doesn't include any Eastern trip.

The bottom line is, you can't be an NBA player if you won't get on airplane. He may have all the talent in the world and I really do feel for him that this issue is so bad but thank god my team didn't pick him.

"The girth of (my request) was, 'Can I travel by bus to close enough games?' "

IF this is the case, then I assume he'd only use the bus for trips to places like SA, OKC, NO etc...

Re: Off season Rumors and Speculation

Attempting an NBA schedule by bus is simply not possible. Forgetting the fact that he'll miss nearly all in season practice time, which is few and far between to begin with, he will miss games. Regularly.

Let's just look at the first month of their schedule.

They end the preseason in Orlando on 10/26. He'll then miss practice and spend all of 10/27, 16 hours straight through, to get back to Houston presumably for practice on 10/28. He'll then have to miss practice on 10/29 & 10/30 to begin the 23 hour drive from Houston to Detroit for opening night.

He's missed three practices before one game is played.

He'll leave the night of the Detroit game and drive through to Atlanta arriving at approximately 1:00 on 11/1. I assume he'll miss that morning's practice but he'll be there for the game on 11/2. They have a back to back so if he leaves directly after the game he'll miss the following day's workout but could conceivably be back in Houston in the late afternoon for that night's game against Portland. They then have a few days off before another home game on 11/7 after which he will head to Memphis for their game on 11/9. If they move practice to late afternoon on 11/8 he should be okay for this stretch. However, that is another back to back so he'll have the same issue with the last one as far as the trip home is concerned but at least they have 3 straight home games. He should be able to get through the first 9 games without missing one but he'll basically miss 3 practices for every one he can go to.

Now it gets tricky. After an 11/14 home game against N.O., they play 11/16 in Portland. It's basically a day and a half drive, at minimum, from Houston to Portland. It is conceivable he could make it there just before tip off but I doubt it. They then play in LA on 11/18 & Utah on 11/19. It's 16 hours from Portland to LA and 11 hours from LA to SLC. My guess is he doesn't go on this whole trip.

The month ends with three homes games from 11/21-11/27 and ends with the second night of a back to back in Oklahoma City. He should be fine for these but he'll miss another practice.

In the first month of the season, he'll miss three games and about 10 practice/walkthroughs. And this doesn't include any Eastern trip.

The bottom line is, you can't be an NBA player if you won't get on airplane. He may have all the talent in the world and I really do feel for him that this issue is so bad but thank god my team didn't pick him.

their idea is that he still uses the plane for most trips, but the number of those trips will be reduced as much as reasonably possible. Thus reducing the chances for his anxiety to flare up.

He travels by bus to San Antonio and such, when it's not a back to back. And then some trips will be half by plane and half by bus. e.g., (not a real example, just how i understand it) Houston-Indianapolis by plane, they play a game, then his teammates fly to Chicago to play the Bulls and then Milwaukee, while he takes the bus in Indianapolis and makes those trips by bus. Then they all fly home.

He supposedly won't miss practice time or shootarounds. What he'll miss, however, is bonding time with teammates and potentially any film/planning sessions on the plane, which some teams like to do.
There's also the chance of a flat tire, engine issue, traffic jam...

It's not perfect, but then again, that's why he dropped in the draft --- although he probably would've dropped much further if he didn't say flying is not a huge issue, prior to the draft.

My bigger problem with this is the timing. He basically took that team hostage by doing it during the training camp and also making it so public. Imagine Plumlee not coming to the training camp and making public demands via any media outlet who would listen. Mental illness or not, that's not very cool.
Also, add his non-illness issues. His reported bad shape / work ethic problems at times during his career, other off the court issues. It's pretty hard to separate what's mental illness and what's laziness and bad attitude. Will he start using his mental illness as an excuse for other things, at some point? Will he keep solving his issues so publicly? I wish him well with his health, but the way he handled the situation would leave a pretty bad taste in my mouth if I were the Rockets.

Re: Off season Rumors and Speculation

This get to games by bus idea is the dumbest thing I have ever heard. I get the guy has an anxiety issues and I sympathize with that, but maybe he should find a profession that better suits his travel needs.